Zabaleta: We must be united

City ace Pablo Zabaleta says unity is key if Blues are to chase down Reds

Pablo Zabaleta said City’s team of stars need more unity if they are to make a real challenge to United’s Premier League supremacy.

The Blues find themselves 15 points behind their Red neighbours with nine games to go in the league season, meaning the title race is as good as over.

And Zabaleta, a firm favourite to be City’s player of the season, has warned his team-mates they need greater mental strength and a more united front if they are to develop the kind of winning culture which their Old Trafford rivals have.

“We have to grow as a group and in terms of our mentality,” said Zabaleta, who has been away with Argentina on World Cup qualifying duty.

“People often consider that it’s enough having champions in your team to win, but if great players don’t form a united front you are not going anywhere.

“We need to learn to be more solid. United have played better, and being 15 points behind is too big a gap.”

Zabaleta questions whether United have been that much better than City in terms of quality this season, claiming Sir Alex Ferguson’s side have the healthy knack of picking up points even when they were not merited.

“The difference is they have won even when they have played badly and we have managed to drop points when it wasn’t deserved,” said Zabaleta. “It’s a question of mentality. United have developed a winning culture over the last 20 years, but we are at the beginning of our project.”

Some critics have pointed the finger of blame at manager Roberto Mancini, saying he is to blame for the occasional outbursts of discontent which have marked City over the last two or three seasons.

The Italian is also portrayed in some quarters as being aloof and uninterested in his players, beyond their input to the team.

But Zabaleta paints a different picture, saying: “I have good relations with the manager. I have known Mancini for three years and have realised that you can talk with him, not only about football, but about life’s problems.”

Zabaleta is well placed to comment on City’s shortcomings. He is one of a very small number of City stars whose performance levels have improved from last season, to the point that he is now generally regarded as the best right- back in the Premier League.

A year ago, he faced a battle simply to get into the team with Micah Richards seeming to be first choice and that became a three-way battle during the summer when Maicon was signed from Inter Milan.

But Zabaleta has responded magnificently, showing the same toughness and nous in defending, and becoming a more effective attacking force, scoring three goals, his best return since moving to European football seven seasons ago.

“I think this is my best season– I’m playing well and regularly,” he said. “In a way, the injury problems Maicon and Micah have had have helped me, and for a player continuity is essential.”

Zabaleta, interviewed by Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport, also urged former team-mate Mario Balotelli to match his ability with off-field discipline in order to achieve true greatness.

“I think it was inevitable he would say goodbye to City,” said Zabaleta. “He had created a

difficult situation. Mario is a great player who must learn to manage his life off the field better – he must be more

disciplined and quiet. Returning to Italy and being back with his family is helping him.”

The 28-year-old revealed that he came close to signing for Juventus when he was at Espanyol, before electing to join City in 2008, two days before the Sheikh Mansour takeover.

Zabaleta has integrated into English life very well and is a popular figure at community events as well as a committed player.

He puts his adaptability down to the fact he committed himself to the game from an early age.

“I had already made the leap from Argentina to Spain, having left home at 12 years of age to go and play football,” he said. “I lost my mother when I was a kid and quickly learned how to handle being alone, so I had no problems blending in in Europe.”

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